A conversation about Twitter conversations

Oct. 8, 2013

FILE OCTOBER 3: Twitter Co-founder Evan Williams Reportedly Rumoured To Have Sold His Stakes in the company ahead of the forthcoming IPO. SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 14: Twitter CEO Evan Williams announces the newly revamped Twitter website on September 14, 2010 at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California. Twitter launched a new version of the popular social media site in hopes it will be more user friendly. . (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) / Getty Images

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Which social networking site is the best place to have a conversation?

I recently posed a related question on my personal Twitter account, asking how people felt about Facebook; if they still have an active account or have decided to drop off the social site.

The query was based on recent personal observations where users publicly announced, on their blog or on their Facebook page, how they were planning to deactivate their Facebook account or would be posting less often because of various different life events.

One Twitter user, @OfeliaPnj, explained that she still had an active Facebook account and was “not as active as Twitter, but connected to some people that are otherwise unreachable.”

I “Favorited” that tweet, to let the user know that I acknowledged and liked her reply, then replied back on Twitter, saying that she brought up a good point. With so many different social networking sites, staying connected has become complicated.

Not too long ago, real-time conversations took place by telephone or “IRL” (“In Real Life”) face-to-face communication.

Now, we have choices. For many of us, we have one preferred site that we feel the most comfortable using or where most of our friends are spending their time.

Another user, @GrahamGudgin, agreed about Facebook and tweeted his reply: “Have reconnected with old friends (on Facebook) and made lasting new friendships. Still best place for great conversations.”

Joining our Twitter conversation was user @chaimtime, who tweeted a reply directed to both Gudgin and me, “I know no one cares about (Google) Plus, but I have the best conversations there.”

So here we were, having a three-way conversation on Twitter, about the topic of having conversations on other social sites.

I think the best synergy takes place when other Twitter users jump in and join the conversation with their tweet replies; it’s quick, simple and fluid. There is a certain serendipity with the impromptu nature of a Twitter conversation as it’s not usually planned and you never know who will reply.

It does take some time to learn how to initiate, join in or follow along with these type of Twitter conversation threads; the tweets are not in one centralized spot, as they would be on Google + or Facebook, but once you get the hang of it, it can provide an added dimension to how you use Twitter.

Where do you have the best online social conversations? Leave a comment or let us know on our Facebook page or on Twitter @MyCentralJersey.

Eva Abreu @EvaAbreuNJ is the social-media editor for MyCentralJersey.com and DailyRecord.com; email: eabreu@njpressmedia.com